Lamp finishing bars



Jam. 14, 1964 G. E. ALGATT EI'AL 3,117,776

LAMP FINISHING BARS Filed June 2, 1961 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 EZEHLE'HTT LU. 5: 0 o

Jan. 14, 1964 e. E. ALGATT ET AL 3,

LAMP FINISHING BARS Filed June 2, 1961 I r 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J/Z/VE'N 7 5 5 5 5 5. UL, E'HT'T LLLEZU TU 23 United States Patent 3,117,776 LAMP FINISHKNG BARS George E. Algatt, Allentown, and Willard G. Otto,

Schnccksville, Pa, assignors to Western Electric (Zompauy, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 2, 1961, Ser. No. 114,441 Claims. (Cl. 269-254) This invention relates to lamp finishing bars, particularly bars for use in finishing switchboard lamps.

After the switchboard lamp bulbs have been completed with their filaments mounted therein, ends of the filament leads extending through opposite sides of the bulb and the bulbs are exhausted and sealed, terminals are to be provided with conductive cement, located and held against opposing sides of each bulb so that the terminals will be connected electrically to the filament. Finally, a dielectric cement deposited in a given manner assures continuous separation of ends of the terminals and the bulb. Although this completes the actual structure of each lamp, it must be subjected to certain electrical tests prior to its acceptance for use.

The object of the present invention is a lamp finishing bar which, although simple in structure, is highly efiicient during final operations necessary in finishing lamps.

In accordance with the object, the lamp bar includes an elongated body having equally spaced finishing positions for receiving and supporting like lamp bulbs having outer ends of leads of filaments of the bulbs disposed on opposite sides of the bulbs adjacent opposite sides of the bar. Positioning elements disposed adjacent the ends of the body and between the finishing positions along the center of the bar, cooperate with members of resilient conductive elements to maintain the bulbs in their respective finishing positions, the resilient members serving also to receive terminals for the bulbs and to force the terminals into close engagement with the bulbs.

The resilient conductive elements with their resilient members disposed at the finishing positions are disposed in parallel notches in the body upon each side of the finishing positions and are provided with Wrappings of dielectric material, such as textile strands, cemented to the elements to secure the elements in the notches and also to insulate the elements and their members from the body. This conditions the finishing bar for use in electrically testing the lamps after their structures have been finished.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of the lamp finishing bar shown in a test circuit;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of one of the resilient conductive elements;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the bar with a finished lamp therein; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary isometric view of a portion of one end of the finishing bar.

In the present instance, the finishing bar has an elongated body 1%) formed of aluminum or other suitable material with diagonal surfaces 11 adjacent the ends thereof and elongated parallel notches 12 disposed on each side centrally aligned finishing positions 14. Positioning elements 15 are disposed at the ends of the body and between the finishing positions 14 along the center of the body to cooperate in supporting lamp bulbs 16 in the finishing positions. The inner ends of the outer positioning members and both ends of the inner positioning members 15 are curved, as indicated at 18, to partially conform to the bulbs 16 to assure accurate positioning and retaining of the bulbs on the body.

3,ll7,77fi Patented Jan. 14, 1964 ice Conductive resilient elements 20, identical in structure, are provided for the notches .12. There are actually 32 finishing positions in each bar or on each body 10 and, for this reason, each conductive element 20 is of sulficient length to extend the major portion of the length of the body and provide a resilient member 22 to be located adjacent each finishing position. The members 22 have inner surfaces 23 disposed in a vertical plane for each element and upper ends extend-ing diagonally outwardly to provide tapered surfaces 24. A single end of each element 20, defined as a contact end 25, is arcuate in contour and with the elements 20 positioned in the grooves 12, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the contact ends '25 may engage conduc-tive bars 26 and 27 in a grounded circuit 28 defined as a testing circuit and including a source of electrical energy such as a battery 29'. Each conductive element 24 is provided with a plurality of spirally Wound strands 3G cemented in place and serving to secure the elements in the notches 12 and to insulate the elements from the body 11.

The bulbs 16, to be finished, include leads 32 of their filaments 33 which extend through opposing sides of the bulb and have outer ends bent into engagement with the bulb, as illustrated at 3-4. Terminals 35, of the contours shown, are to be formed and inserted singly adjacent their respective sides of each bulb after having been provided on their inner surfaces with a conductive cement 36 to electrically connect their lead ends thereto. The terminals will be held in place by the resilient members 22. One of the finishing operations is the depositing of a dielectric cement 37, in the position shown in FIG. 3, to maintain the relative spaced positions of the adjacent ends of the terminals 35.

Function of the Bar In actual practice, numerous lamp finishing bars, as disclosed, after being provided with lamp bulbs 16 in each of the finishing positions 14, are moved longitudinally successively relative to operating positions Where, in their predetermined order, the terminals 35 are supplied with their conductive cement 36 and forced downwardly between the bulb and its respective resilient member 22. The diagonal surface 24 of this resilient member assists in guiding the terminal into the position shown, while the resilient nature of the member 22 causes the surface 23 to engage, force the terminal into close engagement with its portion of the bulb, and hold the terminal in this position during subsequent finishing operations. This action takes place regarding both terminals 35 for each lamp at difierent stations.

At another station, the dielectric cement is added to each lamp and at a given position, the bars are moved laterally between one or more pairs of conductive bars 2627 where each of the 32 lamps in each bar is connected in parallel in each testing circuit (only one being shown) for a desired length of time for each testing or, what might be termed, a filament burning operation.

When the finishing operations have been completed, an ejecting means such as a plunger, not shown, may be moved through apertures 40 singly to remove the finished lamps singly from each body 10.

It is to be understood that the above described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which Will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

l. A finishing bar for switch-board lamps comprising an elongated body having equally spaced finishing positions for receiving and supporting like lamp bulbs havin" outer ends of leads of filaments of the bulbs disposed on opposite sides of the bulbs to which terminals are to be secured adjacent opposite sides of the bar, positioning elements disposed adjacent the ends of the body and between the finishing positions along the center of the bar, the body having parallel notches disposed at opposing sides of the finishing positions and extending substantially the full length of the body, a single conductive element disposed in each notch and having resilient conductive fingers integral therewith and positioned with one finger of each element disposed on opposite sides of each finishing position to guide the terminals on opposite sides of each bulb into engagement therewith and their filament leads and hold the bulbs and terminals in assembly, and means serving to insulate each element from the body and to secure each element in its notch.

2. A lamp finishing bar according to claim 1 in which a curved end for each conductive element extends beyond its respective end of the body so that the two curved ends when contacting conductive bars disposed in and made parts of an electrical circuit Will condition the elements and their resilient fingers to include the filaments of each lamp bulb in parallel in the circuit.

3. A lamp finishing bar according to claim 1 in which each resilient finger of each conductive element has a flat surface to firmly engage and hold its terminal in place on the lamp bulb and an outwardly tapered upper surface to engage and guide its terminal into its position between the fiat surface and the bulb.

4. A lamp finishing bar according to claim 1 in which the insulating means for each conductive element includes spiral Wrappings of textile material disposed on and cemented to each element.

5 A lamp finishing bar according to claim 1 in which vertical surfaces of the positioning elements adjacent to the finishing positions are arcuate in cross-section to par tia-lly conform to the lamp "bulbs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNETED STATES PATENTS 2,357,693 Samson Sept. 5, 1944 2,970,369 :Foster et al 'Feb. 7, 1961 2,992,475 Goodykoontz July 18, 1961 

1. A FINISHING BAR FOR SWITCHBOARD LAMPS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BODY HAVING EQUALLY SPACED FINISHING POSITIONS FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING LIKE LAMP BULBS HAVON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BULBS TO WHICH TERMINALS ARE TO BE SECURED ADJACENT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BAR, POSITIONING ELEMENTS DISPOSED ADJACENT THE ENDS OF THE BODY AND BETWEEN THE FINISHING POSITIONS ALONG THE CENTER OF THE BAR, THE BODY HAVING PARALLEL NOTCHES DISPOSED AT OPPOSING SIDES OF THE FINISHING POSITIONS AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE FULL LENGTH OF THE BODY, A SINGLE CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT DISPOSED IN EACH NOTCH AND HAVING RESILIENT CONDUCTIVE FINGERS INTEGRAL THEREWITH AND POSITIONED WITH ONE FINGER OF EACH ELEMENT DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF EACH FINISHING POSITION TO GUIDE THE TERMINALS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF EACH BULB INTO ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH AND THEIR FILAMENT LEADS AND HOLD THE BULBS AND TERMINALS IN ASSEMBLY, AND MEANS SERVING TO INSULATE EACH ELEMENT FROM THE BODY AND TO SECURE EACH ELEMENT IN ITS NOTCH. 